New Delhi, Aug 30: Local coffee chain Sardarbuksh has been ordered by the Delhi High Court to change the names of its upcoming 30 outlets to "Sardar-ji-buksh". The bench has not issued the final verdict in the suit filed by Starbucks, the US-based coffee giant, which has sought the names of Sararbuksh's existing five outlets to also be changed.

The interim order issued by the Delhi HC has asked Sardarbuksh to change its two-mermaid logo, as it is appears identical to the one used by Starbucks.

Reacting to the adverse ruling by the court, Sardarbuksh promoter Rohit Khamboj said neither he, nor his co-founder Sandeep Singh Kalra had ever visited a Starbucks outlet before opening their local coffee chain.

Meanwhile, a Starbucks spokesperson while speaking to ET said the company aimed to amicably resolve the dispute with their competitor. However, non-cooperation forced them to take the legal route, he said.

Starbucks, which has presence in over 70 countries, has 125 outlets in India. The company had, in 2015, similarly filed a suit against Pakistan-based Sattarbucks, accusing them of using a phonetically-similar name to appeal the customers. The court in Islamabad had agreed that it violates copyright laws.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 30, 2018 09:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).